Though teaching is considered one of the noblest professions since time immemorial, it is undoubtedly one of the most underappreciated jobs around the world. It is no secret that teaching requires not only proper knowledge but also critical thinking and all other faculties of intelligence. Apart from that, this profession needs a lot of dedication. When it comes to teaching, an individual should have that passion for imparting knowledge to others while building their confidence. And most importantly, a great teacher is someone who inspires change.
The fact is that the majority of people can excel at just one job. But, people like Steven Nickodemski, who is a devoted and passionate English teacher and a fantastic writer, have proven that one can achieve anything only if one sets their mind and heart to it. As far as teaching is concerned, Steven says, “I try dedicating much of my free time to helping young people learn English as a second language.”
Born and raised in Meriden, Connecticut, Steven later moved to Florida. He has a bachelor’s degree in E-Business from Strayer University. However, it was in 1982 when he enlisted in the United States Navy at the young age of seventeen. After serving a long active period as a Chief Petty Officer, he retired in 2005 and was 40 at the time.
Steven has always been good with words and expressing his thoughts, and that led him to author his memoir titled The Marginalized Passenger. In fact, his writing journey started after his father’s demise from Liver cancer. This unexpected occurrence inspired him to gather his teenage experiences and pen them down in the form of a book. Coming from a broken home — divorced parents, a suicidal mother, and an alcoholic and despondent father – he needed to tell his story, so he self-published a narrative, which gained a lot of attention from its readers. Talking about his memoir, he shares, “It was not a very charming experience for me to write my own memoir as it brought the dark flashbacks of my teenage life which I escaped a long time ago.”
There is more to Steven Nickodemski than meets the eye. He is a man of high principles and gives all the credit to his mother for raising him with unconditional love and determination. “My mother died of breast cancer when I was 22, but she made a massive impact on my life at an early age,” he says. Steven highly values her mother’s efforts and resilience in bringing him up despite all the psychological and physical abuse she faced at the hands of his father and stepfather. “It was her willpower and the drive to make something of herself that makes her a robust female role model for me. Her tenacity and willingness to help me whenever I faced a complex problem is something that brings tears to my eyes even today,” he informs.
Steven is unlike most seasonal writers and takes inspiration from Stephen King and Truman Capote. He claims to genuinely love writing Psychological Thrillers, and currently, he is working on his second book, hinting that it will be a murder mystery. In fact, he plans to have it ready for submission to publication sometime next year. Though he didn’t give a publishing date for his upcoming book, he left his readers curious by revealing a few details about the plot of his next outing. He shares, “I don’t want to give too much away, but the novel I’m writing is based on a female serial killer who seeks revenge. The book is still only about halfway complete, so let’s keep at that.” This is not all! Steven Nickodemski has also written several short articles, both pre and post-pandemic, on teaching English and Neurolanguage. But he believes his forthcoming book will be of most prestige value, and he hopes for the publishers to shed some light upon it.
Publishing is like a Catch-22; nobody takes you seriously when you’re a fledging author because you haven’t sold thousands of copies. Steven feels that promoting your ‘brand’ is a complicated thing. “You aren’t taken seriously until your book sells, and to sell your book, you need to be well-known. Only then are you taken seriously,” he stresses. Every writer goes through a phase of change that reflects their persona on their writing, and for this passionate author, it was more about himself when he wrote the memoir, but now he is focusing on writing only for his readers.
When it comes to the secret of Steven’s success, he gives credit to his mother and his wife. He states, “I owe it to both of them for where I am today or else I would simply be a blank wall. As for my success mantra, I like to keep a positive attitude, but at the same time, I’m realistic. Hard work doesn’t bother me; I will work until I cannot.” Steven Nickodemski never gives up and works until he gets it, and that is what sets him apart from the rest!
